Pro-Palestinian protests during the final hours of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) began much like they had earlier this week — largely peaceful with a family-friendly atmosphere.
The crowd of thousands slowly snaked through residential areas surrounding the United Centre on Thursday. Pausing at the edge of a park to turn towards the convention centre, they chanted: “DNC, you will see. Palestine will be free.”
There was heavy police presence as protesters walked the blocks by the convention venue, including at a park where a small group of activists breached an outer perimeter fence earlier in the week. In addition to police on bikes along the route, about 100 officers in riot gear and more than 20 law enforcement vehicles followed the marchers.
At Union Park ahead of the march, the grassy field teemed with Palestinian flags, and a speaker system played Palestinian dance songs.
The gathering was organised by the Coalition to March on the DNC, a group of more than 200 organisations that ran a similar event on Monday night.
The largely festive atmosphere was briefly interrupted by the arrival of Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, who said he was interested in “hearing alternative points of view”.
After describing himself as a supporter of Israel, Mr Ramaswamy was driven from the park by protesters chanting “racists go home”.
Protesters attempted to call attention to what they see as a lack of Palestinian voices within the arena hosting the DNC.
As attendees filtered out of the convention on its final night, they were met with the chants calling for the party to do more to end the war in Gaza.
Only a few dozen protesters lingered late on Thursday near Union Park, clashing briefly with police who blocked plans to march towards the convention centre.
Leaders of an “Uncommitted” movement, which garnered hundreds of thousands of votes in Democratic primaries across the nation in protest of the Israel-Hamas war, expressed frustration ahead of the convention when negotiations to secure a speaking slot for a Palestinian American at the DNC stalled.
On Wednesday night, more than 2,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched peacefully past a park where pro-Israel demonstrators had gathered earlier.
That demonstration came a day after violent clashes between police and protesters led to 56 arrests at a much smaller, unsanctioned protest outside the Israeli Consulate in downtown Chicago.
Police superintendent Larry Snelling said the protest on Wednesday night ended without arrests and that no one was injured.
He praised the organisers of the Wednesday protest, saying it is an example of how people can hold First Amendment-protected demonstrations peacefully by collaborating in advance with law enforcement.
The biggest protest so far, which attracted about 3,500 people on Monday, was largely peaceful and resulted in 13 arrests, most related to the breach of security fencing. They did not gain access to the inner security perimeter at the United Centre, where the convention is taking place.
Two people were arrested on Sunday night during another mostly peaceful march.
